Tough Tasks Loom as No. 3 Bulldogs Close Out Regular Season

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The final weekend of the regular season brings two tough challengers for the No. 3 Yale men's squash team, as a Friday night matchup with No. 7 Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H. will be followed with a Sunday afternoon showdown with No. 4 Harvard at the Brady Squash Center.

The Bulldogs were handed their first loss of the season by new national No. 2 Princeton in New Jersey Saturday, winning just one of its nine matches. Hurt by an injury to junior All-American Hywel Robinson, the Elis struggled across the board. Since now No. 1 Trinity -- victims of an epic Bulldog streak-busting effort earlier this season -- had beaten Princeton previously, the Bantams leapfrogged both squads to take the top spot in this week's Dunlop Men's College Squash poll. Yale dropped to third.

But the Bulldogs didn't wait long after the loss to start their quest to get back to the top. They bounced back 8-1 against No. 9 Penn in Philadelphia Sunday, a huge win heading into what will be an equally-as-challenging stretch this weekend.

The loss to Princeton means the Bulldogs need a lot of help to repeat as Ivy League Champions. The Tigers face off against No. 6 Cornell and No. 10 Columbia -- and need to drop both games -- for Yale to have a chance to overtake them. The Elis would also need to win out for that to happen, as they are currently tied with the Crimson for second at 4-1 in conference play. With a win Friday, the Bulldogs could inject even more drama into what is already a highly-anticipated Senior Day showdown with their archrival Sunday.

Luckily for Yale fans unable to make the trip to New Haven for the match, the Harvard-Yale regular-season finale will be streaming live on Yale All-Access. Those interested can find more information and the stream itself on Yalebulldogs.com, and both the men's and women's matches will be available.